Tuesday, May 30, 2017 6:17 am CDT

50 degrees F   Cloudy  Wind 9 mph NW

Sunrise  5:30 am CDT  Sunset  8:52 pm CDT

We are getting ever so close to the expected hatch date for our two eggs on the loon nest!

I would expect hatch to take place later this week or this weekend.

Let us hope and pray that the eggs are developing normally and that soon we will see those impossibly cute little puffs of black down, known as newly hatched loon chicks.

Even thinking about it, I once again stand back at this miracle of LIFE!  Life out of "nothing".  But we all know there is Something.  Or Someone.

But the challenges for our loons continue.

The weather just will not break and return to 'normal'.

It has been cold and windy and rainy - it seems like forever.  And this morning is no different.  A cold, biting wind raises waves as it blows off the lake.

But starting tomorrow the forecast is for more sunshine and warmer weather.

So hopefully we should have more normal and beautiful weather in time for the  hatching of our loon chicks.

Already this morning our loons have been concerned and pulled off the nest by an eagle in the area.

I finally saw the video of the 2 fishermen in the kayak who actually hit the nest with their kayak as they were trying to free their lure that they had gotten hung up on the anchor rope of the nest.

My comment about them from yesterday stands.  It is hard to believe that some people can be so clueless and ignorant.  In addition to which, what they did is a violation of Federal law of harassing loons which can provide for a $5,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail in addition to state charges.

I hope if any of you know who they were that you will have a 'little talk' with them.

It is things like that which can cause a nest to fail.

But for now, we chalk it up to - well, I am not sure what we chalk it up to! - and we return to more pleasant thoughts of our expectant parents and little loons.

For those of you who are new to watching the LoonCam and loons, this is such a fleeting magical time.

For unlike most birds that will be in the nest for sometime after they hatch, loon chicks usually leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching, never to return.

The chicks are called "precocious" in that they are able to get around and even swim almost immediately after hatching.

So your chance to see these wonderful, beautiful little chicks is limited to hours or at most a day or two.  And then they are gone.  Whereas with eagles, you can watch the chicks grow for months!

You and and your friends and your family and your kids and grandkids don't want to miss a minute of this miraculous 'play' that is worthy of Broadway!

So grab the kids and the grandkids and the students and the cats and the dogs and tell them that NOW is the time to start watching if they have not already been watching.

In the next day or two I will give you some hints of what to watch for to know that the hatch of the eggs is near or actually underway.  And signs to watch for that will tell you there is actually a little chick under the loon on the nest.

This is the moment that we have all been waiting for!

Don't blink!

Copyright 2017  Larry R Backlund

Monday, Memorial Day, May 29, 2017 6:06 am CDT

51 degrees F   Cloudy   Wind 3mph W

Sunrise 5:31 am CDT   Sunset  8:51 pm CDT

First of all, Happy Memorial Day to all the Americans who are watching the LoonCam.

On this day we honor our servicemen and women who have given so much to keep us free.  We especially honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.  And their friends and families are in our thoughts and prayers on a day like this.

Our loons have just completed a very smooth transfer of nesting duties.  The male came swimming in.  The female got off the nest.  Gave a couple wails.  And the male loon got on the nest, rolled the eggs and settled down.  All of it in under a minute.

The weather has taken a decidedly cooler turn and today's highs are expected to only be 60 degrees with spotty rain showers of and on today with the wind picking up this afternoon.

The cooler temperatures and spotty rain will keep activity on the lake down a little bit.

Yesterday morning was one of those mornings when you wonder if some people have any common sense.

Within a 10 minute period, two boats of fishermen did some pretty unbelievable stuff.

In the morning as we were getting ready for a family picnic and get together,  I came around the house and saw a kayak with an electric motor and two fishermen coming directly through the buoyed area that marks out the loon nest and is intended to keep boats away from the loons.

Although you can't see all of them, you can make out a couple of those buoys that are meant to warn people to keep away.

There are a total of 15 buoys, a large swimming raft that the neighbors put out and numerous reflective stakes that mark where the tv and power cables run under the water up to shore.

These two fishermen seemed to be oblivious to anyone or anything as they blithely motored through the area. 

By the time I saw them, they  were most of the way through and never saw me waving as I came down toward the lake.  The loon was in full, flat on the nest hangover and as they passed, the loon left the nest.

I normally do not yell at people since I don't want to stress the loons even more with a lot of yelling and noise.

I held my breath as they passed over the tv cables fearing that the motor was going to cut right through the cable!  If that happened, it would be the end of the LoonCam for the year.

I stood watching them to hope that one of them turned around to see what they had done.  But they went right through all the buoys and the reflective stakes as if they weren't even there.

One has to wonder about some people sometimes!

There was another large fishing boat that was approaching from the other direction that observed all of this happening.

I immediately went into the house to check the video feed and was so thankful that everything seemed to be intact and that you still had a picture and sound.  Since all of this took place "behind the camera", all you would have been aware of was that the loon was in hangover and ultimately left the nest.

I had no sooner checked to make sure that the kayak had not cut the cables with his electric motor than I looked to the lake to see the large fishing boat with five fishermen right up against the buoys on the lake side of the nesting area.

They were also looking at the loon nest and were well aware of it.

Then two of the buoys started to 'mysteriously' FOLLOW the boat!

He had hooked the buoy anchor lines in his motor and they were all tangled up!  He raised the motor as he frantically tried to unwind the lines that were now wound all around his prop.  And the other four fishermen in the boat watched me as I stood motioning to them and shaking my head.

It wasn't very nice thoughts I was having about any of the seven fishermen at that moment.  But I would have liked to ask them all, "Did your mother have ANY kids that were not idiots?!"  But that would be an insult to idiots.

After they got the buoys untangled from the motor, he threw them back although those two buoys are now very much 'out of place' and  tangled together.  And the five fishermen quickly left the area, going back the same way they had come.

It was only later that I learned even more had happened that I did not see!

Before anyone arrived and I was shutting down the computer, I checked the chat and was surprised to see that a kayak had apparently come right up to the nest!

The comment was that "they were so close they could have reached out and taken the eggs"!  And that it was obvious that they knew what they were doing and had purposely come right up to the nest.

I had completely missed that part of it.  It had to be the same kayak that I saw later come back through the area.  I have not had a chance to go back and look at the video of it to see exactly what happened.

One viewer says that they reported it to the local Conservation Officer, which I appreciate very much.  It is against Federal Law to disturb nesting loons.

Fortunately those kinds of incidents are few and far between.

Most people are very respectful of the loons and the nest.

But when you see that kind of ignorance, you remember it.

We are now down to the "home stretch" in the countdown to the arrival of our new loon chicks!

I would expect that later this week or next weekend would be my best guess of when the eggs will hatch.

That is when things get really exciting.

And you don't want to miss a minute of it.

Copyright 2017   Larry R Backlund

Saturday, May 27, 2017 5:35 am CDT

49 degrees F   Clear Wind Calm

Sunrise  5:31 am CDT   Sunset  8:50 pm CDT

The first rays of the sun have painted the morning sky with hues of pink and gold.

Soon they will also gild the plants and the loon on the nest.

It is once again a spectacular morning on loon lake.

The lake is like a sheet of glass.  There is not a hint of a breeze and the trees around the lake are mirrored perfectly in its surface.

And our loons have just made a picture perfect changing of the guard 5 minutes ago.  The female left the nest to swim out to the male who was swimming in towards the nest.  After they compared notes in preparation for the hand-off of duties, the male loon swam into the nest, got up on the nest, turned the eggs and carefully settled down on them.

Geese are honking in the distance over something that has their attention.  You can hear a belted kingfisher call as he flies by.  Crows caw.

But for the male loon on the nest, all is well.  He is ever alert and watching for any danger.

The female has gone out further into the lake for a well-deserved break, a chance to stretch and a chance to catch her breakfast.  She has put in some unusually long times on the nest in the last couple days.  She deserves a break.

It is hard to imagine or even comprehend what is going on inside those eggs!

The miracle of LIFE itself. 

Something from nothing.  Something so wondrous it is beyond belief.

Even if I could create the life that is developing inside those eggs, I wouldn't know where to start.  I don't have the 'recipe' or the ability or expertise.

But thankfully Someone does!

For now we can only watch and wonder.

I would expect the eggs to hatch somewhere between Thursday, June 1st and Monday, June 5th.

But then what do I know?!  Like you, I am only an observer and a watcher.  I am in control of nothing.

The LoonCam has added to our knowledge of incubation times of loon eggs.

Historically it was always thought that it took 28 days to hatch a loon egg.  Some sources from years ago even said 30 or 32 days.

But then they never had the opportunity to watch loons as closely as you are able to with the LoonCam.  With the live camera, you have observed the laying of an egg down to the MINUTE.  And also with the live camera, we can 'see' the hatching of the egg to within a couple hours or less.

The miracle of hatching usually takes place out of sight UNDER the loon.  But by the loon's twitches as movements we can be pretty sure of when it is happening.  No one has ever had that kind of precise up-close information available to them before the LoonCam.

In over 10 years of the LoonCam being online, we have lowered the hatching of loon eggs to as low as 25 1/2 days!  And we continue to learn new things with every 'loon season'.  And you are a big part of that learning.

With the long-anticipated return of some sunshine today, temperatures will probably return to a more seasonable temperature of the low 70s.  This afternoon watch for the shadow of the camera to pass over the nest.  Some of you have asked what the different parts of the shadow are.

Through the years, many viewers have had different names for the shadow - ET, the Alien, etc.

When you see the shadow, the lower half is the supporting beam or tube that supports the camera.  The camera is surprisingly large and heavy so it needs very substantial support to support it safely during storms  As then nest bounces on the waves, the camera is whipped back and forth.  And that bottom column of the shadow is the support for the camera.

Then the center part of the shadow, the big rectangular part, is the camera itself (and its housing).  The housing protects the camera, the microphone and other electronics from the elements.  It is essentially a 'sealed' system to protect it from rain and snow and hail and wind.

Then the part that some people have wondered about especially is another part of the shadow that is smaller and sticks up on top of the camera.

That is the infrared light and its stand.

The infrared light is invisible to the loons, so it does not disturb them at all, but it allows us to see them clearly in even the darkest night.

So now you know a little bit more about the camera and what that "ET shadow" is!

Yesterday we started to see an increase in activity on the lake as people began their Memorial Day weekend activities.

Today there will probably be even more activity on the lake with the forecast of nice weather for today.  Rain is predicted to move in for Sunday and Monday but right now it looks like it will be only scattered showers with some chance of thunderstorms.

But with today being predicted for the sunniest day of the long Memorial Day weekend, many people will try to go 'up to the lake' today.

And that means that our loons will be alert and well aware of the increased activity.  By far most boaters are very respectful of not getting too close to the nest.  But many of them also understandably want to see 'our' loons.  They will slow down and look and point and watch through binoculars.

The male loon is much more at ease and tolerant of them.  The female will often go into hangover position as they approach.  But hopefully boats and people will keep enough distance so that the loons do not leave the nest.

If you or your family or friends will be out on a lake this weekend, encourage them to be aware of the possibility of nesting loons.  If they see a nest, the natural reaction of everyone is to get up close to it so they can see it better.

One or two people doing that won't have too much of an impact, even if the loon leaves the nest.

But if one person does it and then another and another and another, too much time off the nest by the loons can cause the nest to fail.  No one person is responsible for that failure.  But the combination of many people disturbing the loons can cause a nest to fail.

So as a faithful LoonCam watcher and loon lover, you can help to educate your family and friends about loons and 'loon etiquette'.  I usually say if you stay 300 feet away from a loon nest and watch them through binoculars, you will probably have little effect or impact on them.  If you get much closer than that, that is when the trouble starts.

So enjoy watching our loon family today.  And start to anticipate the MIRACLE of the hatching in the next week!  Share that miracle with your kids and grandkids and neighbors.

May you have a wonderful and blessed Memorial Day weekend.

And remember the reason for  Memorial Day as we honor  our service men and women who have given so much to keep us free.

And some who have given ALL!

God Bless You!

Copyright 2017    Larry R Backlund

Thursday, May 25, 2017 5:18 pm CDT

73 degrees F   Clear and Sunny  Wind 7 mph SE

Sunrise  5:33 am CDT   Sunset  8:44 pm CDT

What a beautiful day!

Sunshiine and calm winds have returned.  Our loons have needed the break.

There have been two minor eagle incidents today but neither one caused much disruption.

Early this morning while the female loon was on the nest, an eagle decided to perch close by in the neighbor's tree.  She did not like it.  Nor did the male who was further out in the lake and came in to call and scold the eagle.  As did the female on the nest.

I did not want to go down to the lake to look to see what was going on because the female loon is still very hesitant with anyone being visible to her.

But when she did not go into hangover when I came out of the house, I decided to see if she would tolerate me going down to the lake shore to see if I could see the eagle.  I was ready to go back in the house immediately if she showed any concern.

To my amazement, she looked at me but never lowered her head the whole time.

When I got down to the lake I could see the eagle sitting in the neighbor's tree.

I have been trying to get her used to me being around in very small doses.  Maybe it is finally beginning to work.  Or maybe the male told her that I am ok!  The male never seems concerned when I am around, even when I went IN the lake once to rake weeds that have washed up on shore.

I remember a number of years ago when I first started the LoonCam, I was amazed when it seemed that the loons actually knew who I was.  Back then I could be down in the front lawn when the loons were on the nest and they didn't care.  But if a visitor was with me, they would immediately go down into hangover.  I was beginning to question my sanity.

But when I spoke to an expert in waterfowl at a large university, he said that it could very well be possible.  He said that although he did not work with loons, he was convinced that some of the birds he was studying really did know who he was and tolerated him being around them.

The next few days look like there will be warmer temperatures and quite a bit of blue sky.  But there will be scattered showers for most days of the Memorial Day weekend here in the US.

There are a couple things you may want to watch for.

Especially if it is sunny, you will see the loon on the nest with its mouth open, like it is panting.

That is because it IS panting.  

Much like a dog, it is a way of getting rid of excess body heat.  Loons are much more comfortable and at home in cool or even cold water.  So to sit on the nest in the hot sun is a real sacrifice for them.

The other thing to watch for is black flies.

With the warmer temperatures, I would expect that the black flies will be more of a problem for our loons.  I have talked about them before so I won't go into all the details again other than to say it is a species of blood-sucking black flies (Simulium annulus) that targets loons and loon blood almost exclusively.

There have been numerous cases where the black flies have become so bad that the loons have actually abandoned their nests.

Hopefully it will not reach that stage with our loons.  But watch for very small gnat-like flies flying around the loon's head and landing on the loon's head.

There will be yet one more challenge for our loons this weekend - boats and people.

With this being Memorial Day weekend, it is the first big holiday of the summer.

So you can expect the lake to be very busy with skiers and jet skis and fishermen and boaters and swimmers.  

When you add all of that to the eagles and other challenges, let's hope that our loons also have a 'holiday' weekend!

Copyright 2017  Larry R Backlund

Wednesday, May 24, 2017 6:00 am CDT

46 degrees F   Partly Cloudy   Wind NE 5 mph

Sunrise  5:34 am CDT   Sunset  8:46 pm CDT

The pattern of constant rain and wind seems to have broken for the next few days and we should  should return to more normal temperatures for this time of year ... into the 70s.

The loons could use a break.

The pair has already faithfully made their nest exchange early this morning and the female is on the nest right now.

It is interesting to watch the difference between the two loons.  The male does not let much of anything concern him.  He sits with his head held high most of the time.  I can be mowing or working down in the front yard and he could care less.  I have at times even raked weeds along the shore and he never lowers his head.

One of the few things he reacts to is an eagle.  And if the eagle flies close overheard, he will cry and leave the nest.

The female on the other hand is much more cautious.

If she even sees me way up by the house, she will lower her head.  So I do not go anywhere that she can see me most of the time.  She is not used to me (or anyone) yet. I will periodically  purposely walk to the front of the house or even down in the front yard to try to get her more used to me and more relaxed where she knows she can trust me.

But it is a long process.

She is much more cautious about everything she sees and will go into hangover for the slightest reason.

And if there is an eagle overhead, she will almost surely leave the nest.

I think there is an eagle in the area now because she has been wailing repeatedly and looking around.  And the crows have been cawing repeatedly.  But so far she has stayed on the nest.  At least the eagle must not be flying.

With the return of warmer weather and the hopefully less wind, the bad part of that is probably the return of the black flies which can be so bothersome to loons.

But the black flies are an amazing story in and of themselves.

In what is believed to be one of the most host specific and dependent in nature, this particular species of black flies (Simulium annulus)  feeds almost EXCLUSIVELY on loon blood!  How is that for specialization?  

And dependence!

There was an unusually bad outbreak of these flies in 2014 that caused many loons to abandon their nests.

When the black flies are around, you will see them especially landing on the loon's head.  The loon can only shake its head to try to get rid of them.  Or rub its head on its back to try to dislodge them.

If  that fails, the loon may be forced to leave the nest and dive underwater to try to get rid of them.  Too many times of leaving the nest and the nest fails.

So let's hope that today, there is just enough wind to keep some of the black flies away from our loons.

And that the eagles find other places to hunt.

And that they only hunt fish!

Copyright 2017   Larry R Backlund